A venturi jet of a fuel delivery module is used to draw fuel from a fuel tank into a separate reservoir inside of the fuel tank. A fuel pump delivers fuel from the reservoir to the engine of a vehicle. An example of the use of a venturi tube in a fuel delivery module using a single chamber fuel tank is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,951,208, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
With reference to FIG. 1, a conventional venturi jet structure is shown generally indicated at 10 that is employed in a single chamber fuel tank. The structure 10 includes a jet inlet 12 having a nozzle 13. The inlet 12 receives fuel from a pump (not shown) and as the fuel flow through the nozzle; a vacuum is created to draw fuel into inlet 14. The inlets 12 and 14 are disposed upstream of a reduced diameter mixing tube 16. The mixing tube 16 is connected with an outlet 18. A fuel tank bottom is indicated at 22. Table 1 below shows the different mounting options for the venturi jet structure 10 of FIG. 1. These five options require significant vertical packaging space.
TABLE 1OptionsInlet to Outlet RatioTypical Angle C1A < B+90 deg or −90 deg2A = B+90 deg or −90 deg3A < B0 deg or 180 deg4A > B0 deg or 180 deg5A = B0 deg or 180 deg
In Table 1, the angle C of 90 degrees (plus or minus) indicates that the venturi jet structure 10 is horizontally disposed with respect to the axis E of the mixing tube 16 (e.g., parallel to the bottom 22 of the tank).
In dual chamber fuel tank applications, only one side of the tank (main side) is equipped with a fuel pump. The second side of the tank contains usually only the level sensor unit. Since there will be fuel in the second side of the dual chamber fuel tank, it has to be pumped over to the main side. There are currently two concepts known to do this: 1), a venturi jet same as option no. 1 or 3 above (e.g., the jet is physically located on the second side, driven by a return flow coming into the second side or by a flow from the main side), or 2), a venturi jet same as option no. 2 or 4 or 5 (e.g., the jet is physically located on the main side). The second concept is preferred due to cost, since there is no need for two tubes from the main side to the second side and this allows for tighter integration into the main fuel module.
There is a need provide a venturi jet structure that can be mounted within a wide range of orientations on a main side of a fuel tank and that reduces packaging space and cost.